1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article with a power source such as a battery, an inverter and an outlet, the outlet being integrated into a buckle with a disconnect to electrically separate the inverter from the power source.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cordless power tools are of widely used in modern society, and are gaining in popularity every year. A person can now buy an entire set of cordless tools, such as cordless drills and circular and reciprocating saws, among other tools, each powered by a variety of rechargeable batteries. Each individual tool has a mechanism for removably affixing a rechargeable battery to the tool. Many or most manufacturers sell sets of tools so that a single style and size battery can be interchanged between the entire line-up of tools as necessary.
Yet, in order to enjoy the full cross-use of a battery with all of a given user's tools, it is implicitly required that all the tools in the inventory have the same battery ports. In practice, this requires that the entire inventory of tools be made by the same manufacturer. Purchasing an entire inventory of cordless tools is an expensive endeavor. Each tool made by each manufacturer has its own respective strengths and weaknesses. It may sometimes be desirable to purchase a given cordless tool without respect to its ability to cross-use the batteries. Further, improvements over time may lead to changes in the design of the batteries. This could lead to incompatibility between the old and new generations of cordless tools even within a particular manufacturer's cordless tool line-up.
Having cordless tools from several manufactures can likewise have drawbacks. Importantly, each battery must remain charged, or at least be charged prior to use. This may requires that several docks may be used simultaneously. Further, for tools that are used infrequently, having the battery constantly on the dock or charger may undesirably lead to wasteful or inefficient use of energy.
A further disadvantage of cordless tools is their weight. Cordless tools tend to be heavier then their respective corded counterpart. This is primarily due to the weight of the rechargeable battery that is directly connected to the body of the cordless tool. It can be cumbersome to repeatedly use a cordless tool for an extended period of time. The cumbersomeness can be exasperated when using a cordless tool to reach overhead. The ensuing fatigue can lead to dissatisfaction with the use of the cordless tool, and can even be dangerous. Fatigue can cause a loss of precision and encourage inappropriate use of the tool.
Further, there are many people having an extensive inventory of corded tools. For those people, it is an expensive proposition to transition to a cordless system. This is especially true if the user intends to purchase an entire set from a manufacturer.
Still further, some people who have used corded tools have experienced the frustrating situation where the cord to the power source is not quite long enough. More frustrating, when using a corded tool up on a ladder, the cord can pull out of the wall as the user reaches to use the tool. Such an occurrence, in addition to being frustrating, can increase the time required to complete a task. Still further, a user must have an extension cord to use the corded tool when not in close proximity to an outlet. It is possible that the user may not have an extension cord with sufficient length, thereby rendering the corded tool useless for some applications.
There have been several inventions over the years seeking to solve problems in the area of providing battery packs for desired applications. While each of the inventions may work well for their intended purposes, none of the inventions solve the problem of using standard corded tools remote from a wall outlet without the use of an extension cord. Some examples include:
U.S. Pat. No. (Hereafter “U.S. Pat. No.”) 3,274,476 discloses an article carrying belt suitable for use with electrical devices requiring a DC output. No inverter is shown for converting to an AC power outlet.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,615 teaches a power belt having a belt member, a plurality of pockets for containing electrical cells and an inverter, and a socket. The socket is disclosed to be a standard socket for a movie camera. No socket is shown for receiving standard plugs, such as the ones used with a corded power tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,344 shows a portable power supply carrier. This patent also shows an inverter. A plug is shown for being inserted into an appliance. Yet, no socket is shown for receiving a plug.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,501,197 shows a power tool and convertible remote battery pack having a plug for being received in the socket of a battery-powered hand power tool. This patent does not show a plug for being used with a corded tool.
Other inventions disclose mobile AC power system. One example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,577,098, which shows an apparatus for providing a mobile AC power supply having an inverter and an outlet. However, this patent does not teach the use of a belt or other apparatus for fastening to an individual or otherwise remaining in close proximity to an individual.
Another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 6,939,641, teaches a detached portable battery with universal clip. However, the electrical coupling disclosed in this patent does not appear to be a socket for which a conventional two or three pronged plug can be inserted.
None of these patents show an article having a buckle with an integrated outlet.
None of these patents show a disconnect for electrically separating the power source from the inverter to prevent drawdown when the article is not in use.
Thus there exists a need for an article mounted battery pack with outlet that solves these and other problems.